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11.03.2014

gardens and geckos

Our trees needed to be trimmed. That’s how it all started.
Funny, how one project can lead to another, and another, then another . . . .

When we bought our house twelve years ago, there was a hot tub
deck in the back yard. Since we didn’t have a hot tub or have plans to acquire
one, we dismantled the deck and used the lumber to build a tree house for our
young son (and me, as it turned out—but that’s another story). Most of the
pavers, bricks, and pea gravel that surrounded the deck were used to form a
small patio garden. The remaining bricks were stacked against the house
awaiting my next inspiration.

The inspiration never came.

Recently,
as we were preparing for our tree trimming session, we decided to tidy up our
back yard. Our plan included removing the unused bricks and extending the patio
garden’s pea gravel further into the lawn where the grass wouldn’t grow. All
was well, until . . . .

I learned that the little geckos I occasionally saw, both in and
outside our house, had turned the stacked bricks into a condominium site- a
fact I was unaware of until I began unstacking the bricks. It was a fact my
little dog, Coco, was unaware of as well.

This discovery left me with a dilemma-- remove the bricks or
leave the bricks? I really needed to remove the bricks, but I felt
uncomfortable about disturbing this newly revealed habitat. My first thought
was to relocate the geckos to another area that would provide similar shelter
(a reasonable choice, I assumed, since the little creatures had thrived since
their move from the Mediterranean eons ago). On the other hand, I mused, if the
location I had in mind was suitable, they would have been living there already.
After a prolonged internal debate, I initiated relocation efforts, successfully
transferring two geckos to a new site.

As I moved to the next stack of bricks, I became aware of
another potential problem. The aforementioned Coco had evidently undergone a “Jekyll
and Hyde” transformation, turning from my sweet little companion into what
appeared to be a possessed, predatory Peek-a-Poo.No amount of “shooing” would discourage the
gaze she had upon the remaining stack of bricks and darting geckos. Cognizant
of this newest threat to my gecko population, I issued a stern verbal reprimand
that sent Coco skulking into the house. Assessing my options once again, I
decided to leave a small stack of bricks against the house and move on to my
next task, when . . . .

I turned around to see my lovely little canine back at the brick
stack, having successfully captured a gecko that had ventured too far from the
condominium grounds. As I stood there watching Coco, happily munch upon her
prey, all the quotes regarding “good intentions not being so good” began to
flood my mind. I didn’t realize geckos were listed among the five main food
groups for dogs.

I resumed my previous relocation efforts.

While I regret my gardening endeavors caused a bit of habitation
havoc, I’m grateful for the lesson I received. It’s easy to forget that even a
simple act can alter the rhythm of the natural world. Habitats can be disturbed
and destroyed and new predators introduced when we become unaware of the subtle
workings of the world around us. I suppose it took three geckos and a small dog
to remind me of that delicate balance.

Postscript: The next morning, I was granted a moment of grace,
or perhaps an additional opportunity for reflection, when I saw a small gecko
scampering up the brick wall in our patio garden.As I drank my coffee, Coco by my side, I
found myself thankful for little creatures, both predators and prey. Perhaps, as
Julian of Norwich said, “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all
manner of things shall be well.”